Hob
Hob was Galen Grimwrath's squire who swore vengeance against Taliesin for his master's death. His shade ended up corrupted by Mardük's madness and he became the twisted guardian of Xar Daeon who fought against Khasra III during the Second Battle of Vulpengaard Keep. He was eventually banished by Khasra who wielded Morninglight, the sword which had once belonged to Galen. Biography Early Years Hob was born in Ancient Maar Sul and became the squire of the paladin Galen Grimwrath. They participated in the War of the Andain although their impact on the battlefield was minimal. Galen served as a Captain under Taliesin after the War of the Andain, trying to help restore order to a war-torn world. He was wounded in action during a raid ordered personally by Taliesin himself. He died in the arms of his squire, Hob, who swore vengeance against Taliesin. Details about Hob's life became murky as he disappeared from public sometime after Galen's death. Godslayer Era A Crimson Dawn When Khasra III entered the shadow of the celestial city of Xar Daeon through the Mirror of Truth, he witnessed how it had once been a glorious city of Mardük until it had been corrupted by Mardük's later madness. It was there he encountered the shade of Hob who had become the city's guardian and Mardük's champion who had lingered on even after Mardük's demise. Hob and Khasra had an argument about the nature of power and chaos. Hob believed that only the ordered increase of chaos mattered and that true power could only be achieved through absolute hegemony. When Khasra resisted Hob and attempted to purge the Wailing City from its dark taint, he ended up fighting against Hob who had recognized that the sword Khasra was wielding was Morninglight, the same sword once wielded by Galen. Hob didn't see Khasra being worthy of a paladin or a Chaos Knight, so he attempted to take the sword from him by force and prove his worth as Galen's successor. Death Although at first Hob kept beating down Khasra, eventually Khasra's resolve to save his friends grew enough for him to help purify the taint on Morninglight while also accessing the pure power of Chaos as the first Chaos Knight in millennia. As Khasra restored hope to Xar Daeon, he also abandoned all defense and concentrated on only attacking. He and Hob pierced each other and as Light returned to drive away the shadow of Xar Daeon, Hob vanished with it, leaving Khasra victorious. Aliases and Nicknames ; Squire Hob : What he was called when serving as Galen's squire. ; Champion of Xar Daeon : What Hob called himself after he became the guardian of the corrupted shadow of Xar Daeon. Appearance Personality and Traits Was devoted to his master Galen so much that he swore vengeance against the powerful Andain lord Taliesin who he blamed for Galen's death. After his shade became corrupted and he ended up as a guardian of Xar Daeon, Hob came to believe Mardük's mantra of madness and how only the ordered increase of chaos mattered and that it should be done with force. He saw others unworthy of being paladins and openly mocked Khasra for being a poor imitation of one but his arrogance proved to be his undoing. Powers and Abilities As a squire he was an adequate warrior but by the time he became a shade and was imbued with Mardük's dark power, his power grew and made him nigh-indestructible. Relationships Galen Grimwrath Hob was Galen's loyal squire. After Galen's death, Hob swore to avenge his death by defeating Taliesin. Mardük Hob came to view Mardük as his master after he became the guardian of the twisted version of Xar Daeon in the years since Galen's death. He believed in Mardük's corrupted dogma to the very end which led to his demise as the taint of Xar Daeon was purged. Taliesin Hob swore vengeance against Taliesin after he believed he was behind Galen's death. Taliesin, however, didn't considered a mere squire much of a threat. See also *Galen Grimwrath *Khasra III *Taliesin *Xar Daeon Category:Characters Clergy of Mardük Category:First Age Category:Maar Sul (nation) Category:Third Age Category:Undead